Security features are embedded in documents such as official and/or valuable documents by incorporating security features in the documents that are modified upon reproducing the document to thereby inhibit unauthorized copies of the documents from being made. Such security features can include latent features that are largely indistinguishable within the background of the document on an original, but which become distinguishable in a reproduction of the document such as in a scanned reproduction of the document. By embedding features that distinguish an original document from reproductions thereof, counterfeit versions and other unauthorized copies can be more readily detected. Thus, such documents including embedded security features offer an indicator of authenticity to ensure that a particular printed version of the document is an original.
In applications such as commercial paper documents, security features are typically incorporated in a background of the document with latent security features embodied as words that will appear in reproductions of the commercial paper document. In reproductions of the document, the latent security features become visible, which allows unauthorized copies to feature words such as “void” or “copy” to indicate it is not an original. However, the background of the commercial paper document is generally static with pertinent information being printed, typed, or rendered over or adjacent the static background.
Conventional methods and products involve preparing an original document by printing or lithography on high quality print media to achieve high resolution printing in order to effectively embed the above-described security features. Prior printing systems for generating documents with embedded security features employ offset printing technology to produce prints at approximate resolutions of at least 2400 dots per inch.
In the present information environment, many documents are prepared and utilized in electronic form. As a result, systems and methods have been developed to digitally protect contents of electronic documents utilizing encryption technology. Documents which have been encrypted are then locked, and the encrypted file must be decrypted before the contents of the file can be sensibly reconstructed. Encryption and decryption technologies vary somewhat, but generally require that a key be created or constructed in order to decrypt a desired file. The contents of the file can thereby be protected by limiting access to the key.